The Alpha's Exiled Mate Chapter 37

Thorne's POV

She turned to me, genuine surprise crossing her face. "Excessive? No, I... I didn't know that."

I frowned, studying her reaction. "The standard protocol at Silver Shackle for your level of offense would include minimal silver restraints during transport and processing. Nothing that would leave residue in your system after all this time."

A bitter laugh escaped her. "Standard protocol? Is that what you think happened to me after you passed sentence?"

Her words carried an accusation that made my wolf bristle. "Explain."

"I spent three months in a moon-silver cage at Silver Shackle before being transported to the Wilds," she said, her voice flat. "The guards said I had 'offended the Alpha' and deserved special punishment. They called it 'special treatment for Riley scum.' Said it was ordered from the top."

I felt my jaw tighten. I had authorized her detention at Silver Shackle, but not that level of silver exposure. "The silver restraint protocol I approved for your case was minimal—standard for pre-exile containment. Nothing that would cause trauma like what you experienced tonight."

I felt a cold shock run through me. "I never authorized that. Not for your case. Not for anyone with your level of sentencing."

"And yet it happened," she said, her eyes hard with resentment. "Every day for three months. Do you know what happens to a wolf in a silver cell, Thorne? How it feels to have your bones try to shift but be unable to complete the transformation because of the silver's suppression? It's like being torn apart from the inside, over and over again."

For a moment, genuine regret washed over me. No wolf deserved that kind of treatment without explicit sentencing. But then I hardened my resolve. "While I didn't authorize that level of containment, let's be clear about something, Freya. If you hadn't attacked Kaelin in the first place, you wouldn't have been in that position at all."

Her scent spiked with fury. "I didn't attack her!"

"The evidence says otherwise," I snapped, my own anger rising to match hers. "Your scent was all over the scene. Your paw prints were on her shoulder. You were found guilty in a fair trial."

"Fair?" she spat the word like it was poison. "You call what happened to me fair? You never even considered that I might be innocent!"

"I considered all the evidence presented," I growled, my patience wearing thin. "And the evidence pointed to your guilt. I don't make exceptions in the law, not even for—" I cut myself off.

"Not even for what?" Her voice dropped dangerously low. "Not even for someone you were once going to mate with? Or not even for a Riley?"

"Not for anyone," I finished coldly. "The law is the law. You were found guilty of a violent attack on another wolf. If you want to blame someone for your time in Silver Shackle, blame yourself for attacking Kaelin."

"Was manufactured!" She turned fully toward me, her scent sharpening with anger. "My scent was at the scene because she said she had a gift for me. My paw prints? That's something you'll have to ask her - why she has my claw marks on her body when I never even touched her."

"That's speculation," I said, but with less conviction than before. "And it doesn't change the fact that you were found guilty by proper process."

"And your evidence wasn't speculative?" she challenged. "You convicted me based on circumstantial evidence and the testimony of a woman who hated me because I was engaged to you first. And then I was subjected to torture that even you, the Alpha Judge who sentenced me, claim to know nothing about."

---

The car turned onto the long, winding road that led up to Grey Estate, the massive silhouette of the estate visible against the night sky. Located on the highest point in Moon Bay, the manor had been in my family for generations, a symbol of the Grey Pack's dominance.

"We're done with this conversation," I said as the car pulled up to the front entrance. "For now, you'll stay at Grey Estate where I can keep an eye on you."

"What?" Her scent spiked with alarm. "No, I can't—"

"You can and you will," I cut her off, my tone leaving no room for argument. "You're still a key witness in my investigation, and after what happened tonight, I'm not convinced you're safe elsewhere."

The front door opened before we reached it, revealing Edith, the elderly Beta who had served as the manor's housekeeper since my father's time as Alpha. Her silver hair was pulled back in its usual severe bun, her posture straight despite her years.

"Alpha," she greeted with a respectful nod, then her eyes widened slightly at the sight of Freya. "Miss Riley. It's been... quite some time."

Freya looked startled that Edith remembered her, but she managed a small nod in return.

"Edith," I announced, removing my coat and handing it to the waiting butler. "Miss Riley will be staying with us."

"Yes, Alpha," Edith replied promptly, though I caught the curious glance she shot between Freya and me.

I turned to Freya, my gaze hardening. "Since you seem so willing to trade your body for money, I won't be giving you that opportunity here." Her face flushed with humiliation and anger, but I continued before she could speak. "Instead, Edith, Miss Riley will be joining the household staff as our newest maid. Prepare the servants' quarters in the east wing."

I felt Freya stiffen beside me, the scent of her outrage filling the air between us, but she remained silent, her hands clenched at her sides.

"Of course, Alpha," Edith said with another nod before turning to direct the other staff, though not before I caught the flicker of surprise in the elderly Beta's eyes.

"This is unnecessary," Freya whispered once Edith was out of earshot, her voice tight with controlled fury. "I'm not going to run."

"Consider it earning your keep," I replied coldly. "And learning some humility in the process."